SHORT+SWEET PEOPLES CHOICE FINAL 2017 WEEK NINE @ THE DEPOT THEATRE

Eight plays were selected by audiences, during the eight weeks of Top80 S+S heats.

Every week Short and Short audiences voted for just one play to make the People’s Choice Final held this weekend, both on Saturday and Sunday evening.

The play voted winner of the People’s Choice finals gets to compete in the Short and Sweet Grand Final next weekend.

The Divide (Week One)

Written and Directed by Nicola Quilter

Cast: Pearl Herbet and Emmanuel Spiropoulos

Drama showing future events in the un-United Kingdom, almost thirty years after BREXIT Thursday 23rd June 2016. Dialogue was very hard to understand, because of the collapse of the English Language. Message of despair, now with the main character carrying his unusual square-shaped Union Jack Flag. Keeping his valid London passport in hand, he is seeking to return to the deliberately walled City of London, within the time limitation.

George Brown Steps Out (Week Two)

By Gerry Greenland / Directed by Sonia Bible

Cast: Rob White and Dudley Levell

George Brown (original cast)

George Brown has been kidnapped for ransom, and expects to die as he knows of no-one willing to pay the ransom. Yet another awesome comedy experience, as we learn everything about this pretty ordinary George Brown, who needs to change for the better.

Moist (Week Three)

ITC presented by Grumpy Mandrake Theatre

By Seymour Nixen / Directed by Nathan Farrow

Cast: Nyssa Hamilton, Tayla Jarrett and Debbie Neilson.

Moist

Beautifully costumed epic comedy set in a bakery, including Frosty wearing those very famous ruby slippers. Both Sparkle and Frosty are cupcakes. Almond is a sucrose-free and gluten-free xylitol-infused organic muffin. All three are desperate, because they remain unsold at the end of the business day.

Huge comedy piece, dialogue driven comedy that has been expertly timed, and the cast gave perfect performances. Magnificent and shining example of the best of everything that the Festival provides every week.

One Night Stan (Week Four)

ITC presented by Third Bite

Written by Adam Szudrich / Directed by Grant Wilson

Cast: Gina Cohen, Ally O’Brien and Emma Caldwell

One Night StanOne Night StanOne Night Stan

Rachel, Holly and Marie are three women, who are all back into the dating game. Always at the same Italian Restaurant, their mystery date is Stan (Stanley) who is dating all three women.

Delicious comedy dialogue, swiftly flows as each woman has vastly different dating experiences, with the same man, either Menti or Lust or Like.

Delightful and well worthy of getting a standing ovation, and tonight easily garnered the second longest applause from the appreciative audience.

Yellow Means Caution (Week Five)

Written by Gregory Crafts / Directed by Victoria Lewis

Cast: Emma Mylott and Andrew Wang

Yellow Means Caution

Message drama with comedy one-liners, as video game widow Loretta, (this time she is a blonde) and has now turned into a passive aggressive bitch, because of her long-term high-stress relationship crisis. She has happy painted every wall of every room, and many other things important to Max, using bright bold “Yellow Submarine” coloured paint. She needs to find happiness within her rotten marriage with video gamer Max.

Audience participation, with eager applause throughout. This outstanding play was an impressive speed chess game with five minutes to beat the champion (Bobby Fischer) a lightning-fast chess game including completely improvised and clever hip hop rap infused dialogue. Every night the brave cast risks all, by randomly trying to find someone from the audience who admits to playing the game of chess.

Every night a new and different volunteer, and this time Amber was given black. She selected each of her first fifteen moves quite expertly, to then quickly find herself, completely out of time, whilst also on the losing side in a very fast slide towards checkmate, via witty rhythm, rhyme, riffs and freestyle rap. Heaps of non-stop applause at the end, a fresh delight that was interesting and precocious, and this unique experience, resonated with the audience.

Meet the 13th Doctor and the 14th and the 15th. Fresh clever comedy and suffragette message piece, created by sixteen year old playwright Mikayla Hatjinikitas. Time Travel from the Victorian Era, to the far more welcoming world of 2016, and this performance included a bogan teacher. YOLO and SWAG confirm the destination year. Inventor’s daughter uses her father’s Time Travel Machine, to escape from the tyranny of being only permitted to cook, to clean and to constantly birth babies every nine months.

A short and sweet encounter. Stunning prequel to last year’s Short+Sweet play Match of the Century. With live music, on keyboard and percussion. Fast paced rap rhyme dance, pays tribute to USA chess player Bobby Fischer. Re-creating a historically famous lightning-fast chess game, where the winner takes all.